League games on the holiday are traditional but the league says fixture congestion has made it impossible
The Premier League has announced that only one fixture will take place on Boxing Day this year, with Manchester United hosting Newcastle United.
League games on 26 December are traditional in English football, but this year that day will look bare after the league confirmed that the remaining round of matches will be played in the following Saturday and Sunday. Boxing day 2025 falls on a Friday.
In a statement, the Premier League said the reduced schedule was unavoidable given the congested calendar caused by the expanded European competitions.
A total of 64 additional fixtures were added to the Champions League in the new format introduced in 2024-25, with the number of matches increasing from 125 to 189.
“The Premier League would like to acknowledge the circumstances that have led to a reduced number of matches on Boxing Day this season – impacting an important tradition in English football,” a Premier League spokesperson said.
“There are now several challenges to Premier League fixture scheduling rooted in the expansion of European club competitions, which led to a revision of our domestic calendar ahead of last season, including changes to the FA Cup.”
“This ultimately left the Premier League as a 33-weekend competition – fewer than previous seasons, despite being a 380-match competition since 1995.
“With fewer weekends to work with, the league is bound by how the calendar falls. The league can give an assurance that next season there will be more Premier League matches on Boxing Day as the date falls on a Saturday.”
The decision means that this season will be the first time Boxing Day will feature only a single game since the Premier League was introduced in 1992. The last time 26 December fell on a Friday was in 2014, and all 20 clubs played that day.
